The season is on the line on Saturday

Friday

Oct 29, 2010 at 5:00 PM

All of the hours of work, all of the weights lifted, all of the time spent watching video of the opponents, it all comes down to Saturday.

By Pat DooleyColumnist

Coaches and players have this cliche that has never really made a lot of sense to me. You ask them about pressure and they will say, "Nobody can put more pressure on me than I put on myself." Really? So when a quarterback feels the rush and throws a pick it's because of the pressure he puts on himself? When a coach throws his headset because his wide receiver drops a game-winning touchdown pass it's because of the pressure he puts on himself? Not buying it. Besides, watch this. I'm going to put pressure on Florida's football team like it hasn't seen all year. Not from Alabama's crowd or Drake Nevis or Mississippi State's running game or the boys on ESPN's College GameDay. Here goes. Hey, Gators. This is your entire season Saturday. The whole enchilada. All of the hours of work, all of the weights lifted, all of the time spent watching video of the opponents, it all comes down to Saturday. And not just because I say so. You know it is. It didn't have to be this way, but it is. You put yourselves in this position. Now you have to play your way out of it. And it has to happen Saturday. Because if you think you can lose another game and still play in Atlanta, you're wrong. If you think you can lose a fourth straight game and still have a respectable season, you're wrong. If you think you can lose to Georgia and still salvage this season, you're wrong. I would say Saturday is a season-saving game, but it won't necessarily be saved with a victory. All I know for sure is it will be lost with a loss. No pressure, guys. You just can't lose. (Just to show I'm a fair guy, Georgia, your season is toast if you lose Saturday. I mean, a bowl game isn't even a sure thing.) This is what Florida-Georgia has become in this strange season — a loser-leaves-town match. The winner isn't assured of anything except a celebration deep into the Jacksonville night and bragging rights. With a win, Florida would still control its own destiny in the SEC East and a season headed down an unusual path could be changed as if someone yanked the steering wheel. But with a loss, Florida is heading into shark-infested waters. Four in a row? No wins in October? Effectively out of the SEC Championship race before Halloween? That's how important Saturday is for this year's team. It's important for the overall football program as well, but for these guys — especially the seniors — this game Saturday is ginormous. Hey, Florida-Georgia is always important no matter what the records are. As Steve Spurrier used to say, it's a rivalry they write books about. There is nothing really like it anywhere else and that feeling these Gators will have as they board buses at the Sawgrass Marriott is different from any one they will have this season. When they crest the bridge and see the stadium, butterflies will start hatching in their stomachs. Florida-Georgia is different. And this year is different. The records are so rarely this bad — a combined 8-7. That just makes the teams more desperate. Although Urban Meyer prefers the term "urgency" we all know what desperation looks like. Saturday it wears orange and blue. "Like coach said a couple times, we need to get urgent about everything," safety Ahmad Black said, "and urgency is a key factor.” So is poise, something that has not always been on the bus to the stadium this season. And that's the bottom line, isn't it? The Gators know what's at stake. And they know the pressure is so thick you could spread it on white bread. How they handle it will determine how this game plays out and how this season plays out. After all, this is it. The season in one afternoon.Contact Pat Dooley at 352-374-5053 or at dooleyp@gvillesun.com. You can listen to The Pat Dooley Show weekdays from 4-6 p.m. on 104.9 FM. And follow at http://Twitter.com/Pat_Dooley.